DIY tailor's dummy

[Mandalu]

has anyone tried plaster ( like the rolls used for casts)?  I wonder if you have to prep the skin so the plaster doesn't stick to the little hairs?  I wonder if this would work......

When I was in fifth grade, we made masks out of plaster of paris, and we had to put a lot of vaseline near the hairline so it wouldn't get stuck in the plaster. Maybe that would work?

[lexilicious]

sweet, i want one. it is a pain to keep trying on half finished clothes, and to pin em and try to get em off again, all without poking yourself. maybe next time i have crafty friends over we can have a lil maniquen making party!

[JenRed]

I have never done this but I have heard of it before - mostly involving warnings!  Apparently some people used some kind of expanding foam spray for the inside after doing the taping and there are stories of the DIY dress form exploding all over the place after a few days of quietly and slowly expanding and expanding...

So use the foam rubber I guess. 

[SpektrumFemme]

i'm preparing to make one and i was wondering...how would plaster work ( you kno the kind that comes on the gauze sheets)? has anyone tried that?

[chikki sixx]

the first one i made (of my husband) I used masking tape and after i stuffed it with newspaper all the tape started to peel off!  I had to go over the whole thing with duct tape, but now it's super strong.  I also suggest making sure you do the neck, my husband started to have a panic attack so I had to cut it off before I got to the neck.  I also had problems under the arms.  What posiyion should the person have their arms in?  they have to hold them up a bit so you can get under the arms but their arms get tired and when they put them down the mold gets warped a bit.  suggestions?

[honey89]

Oh wow that is an awsome idea! i have been looking everywhere to find a tutorial on how to make one of these, thnx!! ^_^

[Party-Bots]

where does one go to get foam rubber?

I'm way exicited to do this little project!


Karl Addison

[WildSnowflake]

hmmm... if you used saranwrap as the base and paper tape like someone suggested... how cool would this be as an accent lamp? Just slip it over a $5 lamp that doesn't have a shade and make sure it doesn't touch the plastic.

hmmm...

[trufflegirl]

I used this same technique to make a suit of armour for a play I was working on --- over the old t-shirt, we used about 3 rolls of duct tape. I cut out pieces of cereal boxes (again, covered in duct tape) and applied them to the shirt to give the effect of a breastplate (with pectoral definition!) and plate mail on the shoulders. I decorated the whole thing with shiny aluminum tape as an extra detail. Up close, it was obviously tape, but audience members apparently didn't realize it wasn't real armour! The duct tape version had the advantage of being fastened with velcro (for quick changes) and being quiet and light enough to move around in backstage. When I can get my scanner working, I'll post some pictures...

[JanelleLaBelle]

I can't wait to see it!